Interview with K. Fusse, Correspondent of the Japanese NewspapersOsaka MainichiandTokyo Nichi-Nichi

Interviewed:June 4, 1920Published:Transmitted by telegraph June 4, 1920.

      First published in Russian in 1924 in a collection of articlesLenin i Vostok, (Lenin and the East), Moscow.

      Published in Japanese June 10, 1920, in the newspaperTokyo Nichi-NichiNo. 15686.

      Printed from the text of the book collated with the typewritten copy ofK. Fusse’stelegraphed report.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      2nd English Printing,

      Progress Publishers,1971,

      Moscow,Volume 42,

      pages194b-196a.Translated:Bernard IsaacsTranscription\Markup:D. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2003).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Leninsaid on meeting Fusse that he was very glad to see him
and that despite everything that had taken place in recent years between
Russia and Japan and the fact thatsome people in Japan still took an uncompromising attitude towards
Soviet Russia, he nevertheless took an optimistic view of future relations
between the two countries. The Soviet Government had recognised the
independence of the buffer state and “this, I hope,” said
Lenin, “would help restore peace in the Far East in the very near
future.”

Fussestarted the interview by asking Lenin: “Last autumn you
   said the difficulties were over. Don’t you foresee big difficulties ahead?"

Fussestarted the interview by asking Lenin: “Last autumn you
   said the difficulties were over. Don’t you foresee big difficulties ahead?"

Imeant that our greatest difficulties were over; but, of course, there
are still many difficulties confronting us.

Fusse:“You said it took capitalism many years to accomplish
   the transition from feudalism, therefore it would also take socialism many
   years to accomplish the transition from capitalism.  Approximately how long
   do you think this will take?"

Fusse:“You said it took capitalism many years to accomplish
   the transition from feudalism, therefore it would also take socialism many
   years to accomplish the transition from capitalism.  Approximately how long
   do you think this will take?"

Generally,it is hard to fix dates; to overthrow the old order doesn’t
require much time, but you can’t create the new order in a short time. We
have launched our plan for the electrification of industry and agriculture;
without electrification the communist order is impracticable, and our plan
of electrification is designed for a period of ten years under the most
favourable conditions. That’s the shortest time we set for building up our
new order.

Leninthen asked Fusse a number of questions concerning agrarian and
   class relations in Japan.

Leninthen asked Fusse a number of questions concerning agrarian and
   class relations in Japan.

Whatkind of landowners does Japan have? What is the position of the
landless peasant in Japan? Are there any peasant organisations? and so on.
Lenin also showed an interest in the state of electrification and public
education in Japan and how children were treated in Japan. When Fusse said
that Japan took better care of her children than the West, Lenin remarked:
“That’s very important, in view of the fact that the practice of beating
children in the schools has not yet been entirely eliminated in the
so-called civilised countries of Europe, not even in a country like
Switzerland..”

Afterthis Fusse again asked Lenin a number of political
   questions.Fusse:do you visualise good-neighbourly relations between
   socialist and capitalist states?”

Afterthis Fusse again asked Lenin a number of political
   questions.

Fusse:do you visualise good-neighbourly relations between
   socialist and capitalist states?”

Ourterms of coexistence with capitalist countries were set forth at
length in the draft treaty which the Americanrepresentative, Mr. Bullitt, recently published in Washington. These terms
were most unfavourable to us, and it was this that led the Allied
governments to believe that our willingness to make concessions was a sign
of weakness, and they started their intervention, as a result of which they
suffered complete defeat. We routed Kolchak, Yudenich and Denikin,

Fusse:“Where does communism have more chance of success-in -the West
   or in the East?”

Fusse:“Where does communism have more chance of success-in -the West
   or in the East?”

Sofar, real communism can succeed only in the West, but it must be
remembered that the West lives at the expense of the East; the imperialist
powers of Europe grow rich chiefly at the expense of the eastern colonies,
but at the same time they are arming their colonies and teaching them to
fight, and by so doing the West is digging its own grave in the East.

Fusse:“What are the immediate tasks of the Soviet
   Government?”

Fusse:“What are the immediate tasks of the Soviet
   Government?”

First,to beat the Polish landowners, second, to secure a lasting
peace, and then, third, to develop our economic life.